If you frequent gift shops, home accessory stores or antique shops looking for that special accent piece for your home or office, you may have seen some sleek polished silver-coloured metal sculptures of birds, animals or sea life free-form or mounted on stone. Chances are the pieces are produced by Hoselton Canada, a Canadian company in Trenton, Ontario, that is internationally famous for its distinctive handcrafted sculptures made from recycled aluminum.
A Canadian Legacy in Sculpture
The story begins in 1967 when Gord Hoselton and his brother Carl who had a vision of creating something special from scrap metal that would be molded and shaped into a beautiful piece of art. Gord also spent time collecting raw materials like white marble at a quarry near Peterborough, Ontario, and other sites across Canada.
The artisans and designers at Hoselton create original drawings of each piece with inspiration derived from the information collected from library research, photos and sketchbooks. From the drawings, a carving of the piece is made before a mold is made. Then, using recycled aluminum alloy and a sand casting process perfected by Gord Hoselton and Allan Butters, a sand cast is made to produce a two-piece mold into which molten aluminum at a temperature of 1200 degrees Farenheit is poured.
Once cooled and removed from the cast, the piece undergoes an extensive polishing process begins to give the sculpture a soft lustrous, distinctive Hoselton finish. Quality and pride of workmanship go into every individually signed and numbered piece and each one is unique with no two pieces exactly the same.
Where to Find Hoselton Sculptures
The Hoselton studio consists of nearly 6,000 molds in various themed collections that include such subjects as the woodlands, people, waterfowl, trees, birds, marine life, Inukshuks and cats and owls as well as a miniature collection, sports and leisure and office. Pieces can also be customized or tailor made to suit a client’s specific request.
Hoselton sculptures can range in price anywhere from $100 to $1,000 depending on factors like size of the piece, subject matter, age, popularity and, of course, demand especially if it is a vintage piece.
You might be find some Hoselton sculptues among the quality antiques and vintage items available from 35 dealers at the Cookstown Antique Market on Highway 27 in Cookstown, Ontario. Decorators, collectors and the casual enthusiasts can browse through the 6,000 square foot century old barn for that special purchase.
